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It’s been a while since I wrote about credit cards, but I thought now would be a good time to talk about them because of a recent rule change that Chase made that’ll likely change up your travel hacking strategy. For sure, it’ll change up the Chase 5/24 Strategy that I laid out in a previous post (read that post for what I think is the optimal strategy for new travel hackers).
As reported on Doctor of Credit, Chase recently made a change that essentially limits you to earning the bonus on either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve unless you do a little bit of extra work.
You’ll still want to prioritize Chase branded cards before jumping to other cards because of the Chase 5/24 Rule, but you’ll need to know a little bit more info if you want to do it right.
Here’s what you need to know:
The New Chase Rule: One Sapphire Card Per Person
As a bit of background, Chase has three cards that are included in its Sapphire line of cards. These include the following cards:
- Chase Sapphire
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
For our purposes, only two cards really matter – the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The regular old Chase Sapphire card doesn’t really exist anymore, so you can just ignore that one.
This is what has happened under the new rule:
- As of right now, the official rule is that you can only have one Chase Sapphire branded card per person.
- If you already have multiple Chase Sapphire Cards (like I do), nothing will happen. They won’t close your accounts or anything like that.
- You can upgrade or downgrade your Chase Sapphire branded card if you want, but you’re not going to get a bonus if you do that.
- Chase has instituted a new 48-month limitation to earn the bonus again. That means you can earn the bonus on a Sapphire branded card once every 48 months from the date you earn the bonus.
Breaking it down, essentially what has happened is that Chase is basically treating the Sapphire cards as if they were all one card.
Which Chase Sapphire Card Should You Pick?
Here are the main differences between the two cards that we care about (there are more differences in benefits and things like that, but I’m not too concerned about those for these purposes):
- Chase Sapphire Preferred – $95 annual fee, points are worth 1.25 cents per point through the Chase travel portal.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve – $550 annual fee (not waived in the first year), $300 travel credit per statement year, points are worth 1.5 cents per point through the Chase travel portal, access to Priority Pass lounges and $100 towards global entry credit.
Which card you pick will really depend on the value you get from the cards.
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a good pick and the one I recommend for anyone who’s a beginner or scared of diving into the travel hacking space. It comes with a $95 annual fee, but the current offer also gives you 10,000 more Chase points compared to the current offer on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which essentially cancels out the annual fee. It’s perfect for anyone who’s just wanting to dip their toes into the world of travel hacking.
- Generally, I recommend most people get the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It has a unique thing where you get a $300 travel credit each year, which makes the effective annual fee $250. Because the travel credit resets on your card anniversary date, you’re essentially getting $600 worth of travel credits in the first year you have the card while paying a $550 annual fee. With the addition of Priority Pass and the better travel portal, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has more value that makes the fee worthwhile.
Suggested Strategy With The One Sapphire Card Per Person Rule
With the new Chase One Sapphire Card Rule in place, your beginning strategy is going to change a little bit if you’re looking to optimize your cards.
Before this rule, you’d just grab both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Obviously, you can’t do that now.
- I typically recommend getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve because the travel credits offset the annual fee. If you’re deathly afraid of the higher annual fee, then I won’t get mad if you get the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
- After that, snag yourself the Chase Ink Preferred. It’s a business card, so you’ll technically need to have a business. However, if you’re side hustling like I’ve been doing, then you absolutely will have a business, which then makes you eligible to get the card. Right now, the Chase Ink Preferred is offering an 80,000 point signup bonus, which is the highest Chase signup bonus out there. [Learn more about how Business Credit Cards work here].
So this is what you need to know right now about the new Chase one Sapphire Card per person rule. If you feel like supporting this site at all, feel free to sign up for any of the cards I mentioned above using the links in the post. You’ll still get the same signup bonus, but I’ll get a bonus as well that helps me keep the content flowing.
Hit me up if you have any questions!
This post may contain affiliate links. Financial Panther has partnered with AwardWallet and CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther, AwardWallet, and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
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- US Bank Business ($900) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
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Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Great article! I never knew there was a limit to the number of Chase Sapphire cards you could have. I’ve been considering getting another one for my wife, but now I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. Do you think Chase will ever relax this rule?
This is a hard rule, so she’ll need to wait until she’s eligible again. They’ll never relax this rule. There is a way to get around with something called the modified double dip, but that’s an advanced tactic. Feel free to email me if you’d like to learn more about that.
I’ve have
CSP for 7y
CSR for 3y
Had Ink 5y ago
Had Ink Bold 6y ago
Sounds like I should downgrade CSP to freedom and apply for another CSP or Ink, correct?
Is it easy to get more than one business card for ebay sells bus? or stick with just one Bus card?
Since you got the CSR 3 years ago, you won’t be eligible for any bonus from the Sapphire brand of cards until 48 months from whenever that CSR bonus posted. So you’ve still got another year you have to wait.
You are eligible for the CIP (Chase Ink Preferred), so that’s what I would get if I were you.
It’s easy to get multiple business cards, especially if you actually have multiple businesses. I’ve had as many as 5 Chase business cards open at once.
Your referral link is a dead link. Wanna fix that so you get a referral credit when I sign up?
To be specific, the link for the Sapphire Reserve is dead
Hey EJ,
I don’t have a link for it right now. Working on getting my stuff through compliance so I can get affiliate links for cards, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Thanks for the support though!
I have a CSP and want to get a CSR. Is there a way to get my CSP points onto my CSR points? If not, do I have to redeem all my points before switching in order to not lose them? Or any tips on managing points before switching?
You won’t lose your points. Just don’t close the CSP, downgrade it to CF or CFU. They’ll stay on there and you’ll be able to use them next time you get a CIP or CSR.
Modified double dip doesn’t work anymore?
if I do double tip, will it show two accounts in the credit history with one Hard pull?
I believe under the current system, you’ll have two hard pulls. I think I need to update this post because the current double dip procedure doesn’t work. You now have to do something called the modified double dip.
I’m curious about experiences. I am “pre-qualified” for Chase Sapphire Preferred (see it under Just For You) when logged into Chase. 65k income, 15+ years of credit history, never a late payment before.. 120k credit available with 3% utilization.
But I want the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Do I have a good chance of getting the Reserve even though I’m “pre-qualified” for the Chase Sapphire Preferred? I don’t have any Sapphire products and I’m at 3/24.
You’ll definitely get the Reserve. Like I can say with 100% certainty you would get the CSR with no problem.
I have the CSR. I am going into my third year. Would I be able to downgrade to a freedom card and then apply for the CSR again to get the bonus?
The Sapphire cards recently changed the rules to 1 bonus every 48 months (used to be 24 months), so unfortunately, you won’t be able to earn the bonus for another year.
Ok but I can downgrade and apply again for the CSR at some point. The only thing I have been reading is people downgrading from CSR to Freedom and then reapplying for the CSP.
Yep, you can downgrade to the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited, then apply for the CSR or CSP and get the bonus again. You just need to wait 48 months from the date you last earned a bonus on a Saphire card.
OK…to confirm. I’ve got a 14 year old CS and a 12 year old CSP. I’m also well under the 5/24. Can I product switch these both to a Freedom and a Freedom Unlimited and then apply for the CSR AND qualify for the signup bonus? I really want the CSR, but the bonus is kind of a deal breaker.
Hey Wayne, I think I need to update this post due to some recent changes. But in short, you should product change your CS and CSP to a Freedom and Freedom Unlimited (or maybe two Freedoms if you can take advantage of the rotating 5% categories – you’re allowed to have two freedoms).
Once you’ve done that, you can apply for the CSR and you will qualify for the signup bonus. Hope that helps.
Does this double-dip process currently work? I’ve read a few other sites that said it no longer works. Has anyone done this recently? I only have one Chase card, and would love to get these two as well!
Thank you!
The double dip is dead. Need to update this post. But check my recent post on what should be your first credit card if you need ideas about how to approach this now.
Really? It’s no longer possible to double dip on the travel credit? 🙁 I was just about to sign up
You can still double dip the travel credit. In year 1, you pay the $450 annual fee on the CSR. Use up the $300 travel credit. In year 2, you pay the $450 annual fee again and you get another $300 travel credit. Use up your $300 travel credit within 30 days of your Annual Fee, then you can downgrade your CSR to a Freedom or Freedom Unlimited and they’ll refund you your annual fee. So, you’ll have paid $450 in annual fees, but received $600 in travel credits, which means a net gain of $150.
When does the year 2 30 days count down start? For example, I opened my card on 9/1/2020. I have not received the bill for the year 2 annual fee yet. Are the 30 days count down starting from 9/1/2021 or after I got the statement for the year 2 annual fee? Thanks
Would it be possible to do this:
1) Get a CSP, 50k bonus
2) Let 12 months pass
3) Downgrade to CFU
4) Year 2, Get a CSR, 50k Bonus
I already calculated that this is only worth it if less than ~25k is spent on travel/dining during 2 years, since the bonus from CSP would then be overshadowed by the extra points from having CSR all along.
But are there any other considerations to this? CSR getting sunsetted notwithstanding?
You won’t be able to do that because you can only earn the bonus on a CSP or CSR once every 24 months. So, if you get the CSP bonus in year 1, you can’t get a bonus from the CSP OR the CSR until 24 months from the date you earned the bonus. Basically, the only way to get both bonuses now is to open them both at the same time (i.e. double dip them).
Gotcha! Thanks!
You cannot double dip the $300 travel credit. Chase did away with that for anyone that applied for the CSR after May or June of 2017. The travel credit now follows your card anniversary and not the calendar year. I applied for my CSR in September 2017 and will not be eligible for the credit again until September 2018.
Not true actually. Once you hit your 2nd year and pay your second annual fee, you can then use up the travel credit, then downgrade the card to a Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Unlimited. Chase gives you 30 to 60 days to downgrade the card and get a full refund of your annual fee. You’ll still get to use the travel credit a second time, and you’ll be refunded your annual fee.
So, to double dip the travel credit, you would do this:
(1) Year 1 = get the Sapphire Reserve, pay the annual fee, use the travel credit.
(2) Year 2 = pay the annual fee in year 2. $300 travel credit resets. Use up all of the travel credit within 30 to 60 days.
(3) Downgrade the card to a Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Unlimited. Annual fee is refunded. Travel credit is used up. You’ve paid one annual fee of $450 and received $600 in travel credits.
Does that make sense?
Hey, is this still valid? Need to see whether or not to upgrade my CSP to CSR, or go ahead and downgrade to freedom.
Yep, still works. This is what I do every single year.
Any thoughts on whether a current CSP owner (over 24mo) can downgrade from CSP to retain their points, THEN sign up for the CSR to get the bonus out of it?
Right now, you can’t get the CSR bonus unless its been 24 months since you got your last bonus from any Sapphire type card. So, if you have a CSP now, you’ll need to calculate when you got the bonus, then wait 24 months. At that point, you’ll be eligible to get the bonus again.
Is the “double dip” method of signing up for both CSP and CSR on the day actually allowed by Chase? Or is this simply an unintended loophole?
While it technically works, if you break the rules, Chase can technically strip you of your accumulated points. I would be worried about this.
Has anyone actually asked a Chase representative of if doing the same-day signup is legitimate or not?
Rule number 1 with any sort of credit card bonus thing – never ask the reps about it! It is legitimate though. There are tons of people who have done this on the Reddit churning subreddit. Check here for more info – this is the best source of credit card info out there. Also, as far as I’m aware, the signup bonus doesn’t say that you’re only allowed to earn a signup bonus on one Sapphire card. It’s just that the current system has it set up so that, if you have one Sapphire card, you aren’t able to get a second one.
Nice Article!
I got lucky and got the CSP (for 2nd time) one week before the new rule was announced.
I downgraded my CSR to a 2nd freedom rather than cancelling last week. I wonder if I would have gotten the additional $300 travel credit if I kept my CSR for a few days after my AF. I got 2 $300 credits for 2016 and 2017 before they switched the travel credit rule. Technically that would be $900 in credits
I’m interested in the InK preferred but am a little nervous to apply bc my side hustle income is not enough to be considered an actual business (my opinion). Are you able to combine all your side hustles in the application? If so what is the “Company Name”.
You can definitely get the Ink Preferred (CIP, as the travel hacking folks call it). Any bit of side income you make is a business – you don’t have to be some huge company. My buddy got his CIP just by dog sitting a few times on Rover. He’d made less than 100 bucks at that point. You’ve got a blog – that’s a legit business, even if it’s not making a lot of money.
So in conclusion, don’t be nervous. I guarantee you can get the Ink Preferred without any hassle. (and if you do go for the Ink Preferred and don’t already have a referral link to use, use mine! I’d super appreciate it!).
That sucks :). The wife had a CSReserve that we were gonna cancel and sign up for a CSPreferred instead. She already has a Chase Ink Plus – maybe its time to sign up for an Ink Preferred and close the other two
Better to not close them and instead downgrade them to a Chase Freedom and/or Chase Freedom Unlimited. Both are no-annual fee cards, and that way, you keep the credit history going for them. Always better to downgrade to a no annual fee card whenever possible. Remember though, if you’ve still got Chase Ultimate Rewards points that you haven’t used or transferred, you need to keep the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve or Ink Preferred active. Otherwise, you lose the points that you didn’t use or transfer yet!
You should definitely go for the Chase Ink Preferred if you can. 80k points is almost as good as the CSR 100k offer. This one just hasn’t been talked about as much because it’s a business card.
Can’t you combine Chase Ultimate Rewards points from the CSP or CSR onto to a Chase Freedom card with no annual fee? I logged into my Chase account and this seems possible, but I didn’t pull the trigger.
The problem if you do that is that if you store Chase Ultimate Rewards points on a “non-premium” card like the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited, you can’t transfer them to travel partners. You have to have “premium” card, like the CSP, CSR, or Ink Preferred in order to redeem for travel.
Whoa thanks FP, that was not immediately clear inside the Chase interface!
I don’t think that’s true. You can move the points from Chase Freedom to Sapphire Preferred.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) is a “premium” card – not in the same family as the Chase Freedom cards.
This was from a long time ago, so not sure what I was discussing almost a year ago – but I obviously misspoke when I said “lose” the points. I just meant that you can’t use them for travel partners if you only have the CF or CFU.
Thanks for pointing that out – it’s been a while since I’ve looked at the comments on this post, so good to point out.
In short, if you want to use travel partners, you need a premium Chase card. If you don’t have a premium chase card, you can only redeem your UR points at 1 cent per point in the travel portal, which is not the best way to use the points.
When downgrading from CPR to Chase Freedom, will I get chase freedom sign up bonus?
Very interesting. This may not be apparent from the change, but do you know if this rule applies to authorized users? I have the Sapphire Preferred and Mr. AR is an authorized user. Do you know if he can open his own card and get the bonus in his name? Or does the authorized user aspect disqualify him?
Yes – Mr. AR should still be able to get the sign up bonus for his Sapphire Preferred card.
I think – and you’ll want to do some research on this – that if you take him off as an authorized user, he should be able to open up his own Sapphire Preferred or Reserve and get the signup bonus. If he’s an authorized user, I would think that it’s like he already has the preferred, and thus, can’t get the bonus.